


Gravitation

by whenyoudesertme (phrenk)



Category: Arashi (Band), Japanese Actor RPF, Johnny's Entertainment
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-06
Updated: 2012-12-06
Packaged: 2017-11-20 11:05:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/584711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phrenk/pseuds/whenyoudesertme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arashi is invited to go up in a space shuttle, but not everyone passes the physical required for eligibility.  Nino refuses to let that be a downer, so it isn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gravitation

**Author's Note:**

> Since I've been failing to write lately, I decided I could only sign up for White Day this year (!! ♥White Day♥) if I finished and posted something first. Fills my "best/worst souvenirs" square for rainbowfilling. ♥ Cross-posted [here](http://whenyoudesertme.livejournal.com/29657.html).

When their usual doctor refused to clear Nino to go into space, Nino tried to look disappointed. The gruff Takano-sensei was clearly trying to be kind as she talked about his joints and the pressure of take-off, but her words were only interesting so far as they freed Nino from coming up with his own excuse to get out of the trip. After all, she'd rejected Aiba as a candidate as well, and there was no way Nino was leaving Aiba behind.

The doctor left, having grumpily given up trying to fill the awkward silence, and Arashi was left to process her decisions. Three members cleared; two rejected. Ohno was looking put upon, like space travel was a chore that he shouldn't have to undertake for work, while Sho looked guiltily elated. Jun was looking at Aiba, face pinched, and Aiba wasn't looking at anyone, managing to make his lean frame look very small on his uncomfortable chair. Nino nudged Jun's knee on their perch on the examining table.

They didn't say anything, but Jun and Nino decided it there between them. Ohno, Sho, and Jun would go into space. Aiba and Nino would stay behind.

*

Management was less easily convinced, but they were no match for Jun and Nino working together.

"It will be less of an expense for the space program to train three of us rather than five," Jun argued, "but just as much publicity, since it's still Arashi."

"Aiba-san and I will stay here and act as the audience for everyone," Nino said, eyes flicking between the two harried-looking managers. Was Yoshida softening, should he focus on Kitajima? "We can film video letters to each other and release them online, plus then you won't have to hire hosts for the specials that come later, because Aiba-san and I--"

"Yes, yes, Aiba-san and you, we get it," Kitajima interrupted, her thumbs flying over her phone as she discussed the arrangements with higher-ups even as she spoke to Nino and Jun. "We're not sure the dynamic will be ideal, with just three of five. We don't want to tarnish Arashi-san's image as a well-oiled team by showing sub-par chemistry."

Jun drew in his breath, but Nino spoke first. "Picture it," he said, sitting forward to gesture with his hands. "Ohno-kun will be there with his natural reactions, and Jun-kun will tease him and Sho-kun, but be the responsible adult, too. Sho-kun will be awed alongside Ohno-san and impressed with Jun-kun's composure, plus his expressions..." He knew Kitajima was weakest to Sho, especially when Sho was being ridiculous, so Nino wheedled, "Why don't we send a helmet camera with them? They can strap it on Sho before he looks out the window the first time, so all the world can see Sho-kun's nostrils react to space."

Kitajima narrowed her eyes at him, but paused in her frantic messaging. She and Yoshida exchanged a look, clearly wavering.

"Fine," Yoshida said, after a resigned nod from Kitajima. "But we want all of your shows taped beforehand, with only one week of hiatus for Shiyagare since we'll have the live special."

Jun looked away from his nails and met Nino's eyes. Nino smirked, and Jun nodded, then said, "One week of hiatus for all shows for the three of us, with cardboard cutouts and special guest replacements for Arashi-chan and VS Arashi. We're going into space, and fans should have the opportunity to miss us before we come back, right?"

Nino leaned back in his chair and grinned at Jun. "Cardboard cutouts make people seem twice as charming when they're back in person. I vote yours is Domyouji, Jun-kun."

"Those curls would be awfully hard to capture in 2D," Jun said, smiling back at Nino.

Kitajima's thumbs were flying again, but she said distractedly, "Meeting tomorrow: 8am, all members. We don't have long before training starts."

"I'm desolate that I won't get to train alongside you, Matsumoto-san," Nino sighed, fishing his notebook out of his bag to while away the time before his next job. He was planning on ordering in with Aiba later and watching something mindless to distract them, so before that he had to come up with a more lasting plan.

*

Aiba was showing signs of falling into a mope and lingering there for ages, so Nino decided to cut off that avenue immediately by replacing useless feelings with work. He rarely spoke in meetings, though he didn't miss anything even if he had one earbud in, so it took some initiative to ask to speak first and then rattle off:

"Aiba-san and I will come up with experiments to be done in the shuttle, as well as predictions for said experiments, and we'll design a t-shirt relating to the mission, with proceeds going to charity, and we'll go on all the morning shows in place of Leader and the others and make jokes about being in the first idol group to go into space despite not actually going into space ourselves. We'll host the special, in which we'll conduct the experiments on Earth as a control as well as tap in live to the video feed from the shuttle, and we'll bring in some of the training equipment from the space program to give their summer camps a bit of promotion. Aiba-san can demonstrate those things."

Everyone was staring by this point, but Nino wasn't done.

"And we need a song," Nino finished. "An Arashi song to tie into all of this, and we're going to write it, Aiba-san and I."

"Well then," Kitajima said dryly, looking ostentatiously at her watch. "I guess your part of the planning is done, at 8:05am. Your suggestions will be discussed more in depth later, but for now, since time is of the essence, you and Aiba-san may go and start brainstorming the song. An excellent idea, Ninomiya-san."

Nino bowed, grabbed Aiba tight by the wrist, and towed him out of the room before anyone could discuss anything exciting and undo all of Nino's hard work and sacrifice of future time and energy.

*

"Nino," Aiba said abruptly, slapping a hand down over Nino's scribbled starts at ideas. "You didn't ask to be found unfit, did you? I mean, because of me."

"Of course not," Nino said, ignoring how he would have done just that if he'd needed to. "And really," he added, scooting closer to Aiba on the couch. "If anyone knows about my bendy joints, it's you."

"Yeah," Aiba agreed absently, clearly missing Nino's innuendo. He was chewing on his lower lip and visibly on the verge of fretting.

Nino pushed the song notes aside, deciding a change of tactics was in order. "For the t-shirt... Aiba-chan, oi, we're working here, aren't we?"

Aiba nodded quickly, forcing a look of focus onto his face. He also leaned into Nino without thinking, which gave Nino some hope he could be pulled back from the precipice.

"I was thinking tigers," Nino said grandly.

Aiba blinked slowly, and Nino's lips curved up victoriously. There were at least five seconds where Aiba wasn't thinking about not getting to go into space.

"Tigers?" Aiba echoed.

"We've all told stories about getting tiger t-shirts from you in the past, so this will be like a souvenir from Arashi _in space_ for everyone who buys one."

"But I'm not going into space, so why tigers--"

"All for one and one for all, Aiba-chan," Nino scolded. "Don't be possessive of your tiger t-shirts. Besides, these tigers are going to be astronauts, and we can get Leader to draw them."

"Astronauts..." Aiba said sadly, and Nino inwardly groaned.

"As for experiments," he forged on, "I'm thinking a lot of them should involve liquid. Zero G and liquid and Sho-chan can only end in hilarity. And maybe races of some kind, maybe in sleeping bags? With prizes of dehydrated gourmet food or something, or punishment games of dehydrated bitter tea laid directly on the tongue. Picture Sho-kun losing, and Jun-kun laying a wafer of horrifyingly bitter tea on his tongue while ratings soar..."

Aiba laughed, eyes crinkling in a way that made Nino breathe easier. "Human ping-pong," he proposed in turn. "A giant board drawn out in tape, and Leader and Jun-kun play each other."

Nino tilted his head, then got it. "With Sho-chan as the ball? Aiba-chan, you put me to shame. Please teach me your evil ways, just a little time every day that you can spare from your busy schedule being a genius."

Another laugh gained from Aiba, this one coming more naturally. Nino leaned in, decided to play the ace up his sleeve in order to cement Aiba's good mood.

"Aiba-chan, you know something," he whispered, casting his eyes dramatically from side to side as if suspicious of eavesdroppers hiding under the table.

Aiba leaned in, woe clearly forgotten in a sense of devilry shared.

"The space shuttle will have cameras going 24 hours a day," Nino declared, then bopped Aiba on the forehead when this elicited no response. "They'll be up there for two weeks with no private time at all!"

"So?"

"So we'll be down here," Nino said, sliding a hand up Aiba's thigh. "I think the balance of the universe will only be righted if we make up for them. Any time at home in the middle of the day is out, of course, because the universe's balance needs gaming time, too, but once in the morning, since so much is at stake..." His hand slid up even farther and squeezed lightly. "... and then once at night. Or there's that bathroom down the hall, if we're here for work, you know which one I mean--"

"The single, the one that locks?" Aiba said, voice as warm as the hand that came down to trap Nino's.

"They're not in space yet," Nino said loftily, but even as he pretended disinterest he started moving his hand, rubbing in a way that had Aiba's breath hitching.

"They'll be training before going into space, it's only right that we do that same," Aiba pointed out, a chuckle wheezing out of his chest. "Besides, what were you saying earlier, about being bendy?"

Nino stood abruptly, leaving their notes scattered carelessly behind as he took Aiba's wrist again. "Aiba-chan, we're going to have to train quite a lot," he said, meeting Aiba's eyes slyly. "It's our duty as members of Arashi."

Aiba maneuvered Nino up against the door, clearly too impatient to make it to the bathroom. "Oh hey," he said, as if he'd only just noticed. "This door locks too."

*

Ohno brought home many sketches, and Jun gave Aiba and Nino each a handsomely bound book of photographs. Sho came home with a sprained wrist from a vigorous smash during Sho-Pong. At their homecoming dinner, Aiba and Nino let them babble on about space for a while, then demanded autographs on their tiger astronaut t-shirts from the first idols in space. Domyouji, Kaibutsu-kun, and Yatterman, much creased from rough handling during their stint as variety show talents, stood neglected in the corner of Aiba and Nino's living room as Aiba brought out the first celebratory bottle of champagne.

They hadn't even opened the second before Aiba started to cry, but Nino could tell that his months of effort (and two weeks of a ridiculous amount of sex), had paid off. Aiba was crying from happiness, not disappointment. Nino grinned, slouching back in his chair, only to laugh as Ohno clasped Aiba's hands and started to cry as well.


End file.
